Kerala man wins $1 mn jackpot in Dubai duty-free raffle

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The lady luck has smiled on a Keralite who had a close shave last week after jumping off the burning Emirates flight EK 521 in Dubai.

Ahmad Abdul Khadar (62) has hit a jackpot with his lucky number 0845 winning him $1 million (around `6.50 crore) in the Dubai duty-free raffle.

Six days after he survived the mishap, Khadar — a resident of Kilimanoor in Thiruvananthapuram — on Tuesday got a call on his phone announcing that he had won the jackpot. Initially, he thought someone was playing a prank on him but later realised it was true.

Khadar, who had the habit of buying big tickets on all journeys back home, had purchased one from Dubai airport while going to Kerala on Eid last month.

“I have been praying to the almighty all these days for sparing my life. After the precious first gift (life), I got another. Both are sweet. This gift has emboldened me to do more good things in life,” he said. A typical Kerala NRI, Khadar has been working in the middle-east since 1978. Working as a fleet manager with a car dealer in Dubai, he faced a lot of hardships and at times also found it difficult to make ends meet.

One of his sons suffered a paralytic attack 16 years ago and he had to pump in a huge amount of money for treatment. When asked how he plans to spend the money, he said, “I have seen what my son went through. I will help children who need medical attention,” he said.